hassium

a radioactive chemical element with a very short half-life: a transactinide produced by bombarding lead with high-energy nuclear particles: symbol, Hs: at. no. 108

Origin of hassium

ModL, after the Classical Latin name for Hesse, where new elements were created in a nuclear physics laboratory + -ium

hassium

noun

Hs

An artificially produced radioactive element with atomic number 108 that has known isotopes with mass numbers ranging from 263 to 277, all of which decay by alpha particle emission or spontaneous fission. The isotope with the longest confirmed half-life (16.5 minutes) is Hs-277. See Periodic Table.

Origin of hassium

From Medieval Latin HassiaHesse (German state containing Darmstadt, where the element was first synthesized)